Come and see. The blisse of brightest beautie: shining out of Sion in perfect glorie Being the summe of foure sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment of superiours. By William Loe.

Come and see. The blisse of brightest beautie: shining out of Sion in perfect glorie Being the summe of foure sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment of superiours. By William Loe.

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Title page

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL, AND RIGHT WORTHY GENTLEman Sir William Sandis Knight, and to that weldisposed, & very Christian Ladie, the Ladie Margaret Sandis his vertuous wife, and ioyfull consort, grace and glorie be multiplied in Christs kingdomes of grace and glorie.

TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, BVT ESPECIALLY TO E. B. HIS VERY much respected friend, Grace, and Glory

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Errata.

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‘My welbeloued is white, and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand.’Cant. 5. 10.

YOu may iustly demand of me (blessed, and beloued in the Lord Iesus) as the daughters or faithfull people of Ierusalem do here of the spouse in the Canticles, concerning her beloued, saying: What is thy Cant. 5. 9. beloued more then other beloued? what is thy beloued more then another louer, that thou dost so charge vs? because of late I denounced from this place before you (not against you, for I am perswaded better things of you my brethren, and such as accompanie saluation) Paule his fearefull curse of Anathema Maranatha, to wit, If any man loue not the 1. Cor. 16. 22. Lord Iesus, let him be accursed when the Lord shall come: And my reply vnto you must be my text, which the spouse here maketh to the like demand, that is, My Cant. 5. 10. beloued is white, and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand. The words are few, the matter manifold.

Out of Sion (saith Dauid) hath God appeared inPsal. 50. 2. perfect beautie; for what higher, and more heauenly perfection can be imagined, or was euer hard of then Sions sacred rayes, which giue bright splendor, and most glorious lustre to the whole Christian world? The rigor of the law frō Sinay is satisfied in the righteousnesse of the Gospell from mount Sion. If any thē be affectionate, let him come hither, here is loue; and [Page] if he haue grace, here is his welbeloued also, and this commencement and commerce of sweet loue, will be the whetstone of true, perfect and perpetuall loue.

If any be curious, here is amiable beautie white and ruddie: white, answering the purenesse he would haue, and ruddie corresponding the zealous hartines he would craue. And further if he shall be curious, and be elegans formarum spectator, here is choice, euen the chiefest of ten thousand. For here he may behold the spouse, first shewing her deere affection, then her true loues description: her affection she vttereth by appellation of vnfained loue, welbeloued: and also by application, thus, My welbeloued: she then describes him generally, as thus, is white, and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand. And then particularly in his parts as in the verses following of this Chapter.

In her generall description she sets him downe inThe diuision. orient colours of heauenly perfection, as first his puritie, is white, both essentially (is) and especially to, white. Secondly his purity, and zeale both Zeraphical, and also Cherubical, wholie passible, wholy amiable, euen in these words (and ruddie) which is a sweete, and seemely cōmixture of white, and red. Then the choice, aboue thousands, and the chiefe of choice the chiefest of ten thousand. In loue then you see he is matchlesse, in purity spotlesse, in zeale pricelesse, in choice peerelesse.

Come hither then thou passionate louer, and repent thee of thine inordinate, and immoderate loue to [Page] alluring, and deceiptfull beautie, that vaine vermillion die mingled with white, (like bloud in snow) both vanishing with the Suns beames, with sicknes, old age, and many other casualties; and whereof thou thy selfe art suspicious, euen while thou dost enioy it, and art inlie tormented, lest an other should pertake with thee: come hither I say, and sit downe at these pure waters a while, and let thy soule see, and be rauished with the sight of celestiall beautie, and grace shining vnto thee (miserable, and wretched man) euen from heauen; and yet thou neuer didst vouchsafe so much as once to cast thine eie vpon it.

No man I confesse can pourtray or delineate this loue vnto thee as it is in deede, therfore I could wish that my soule had consulted with the Lord Iesus hisIoh. 13. 23. Paranymph the beloued disciple, who leaned vpō his sacred breast at supper, and felt the breathes of blessed loue that breathed out of his tender bowels, or had bene rapt vp with Paule into the third heauen, to2. Cor. 12. 4. be lift vp aboue my selfe, or had seene that glimpse of glory which Peter saw in mount Tabor, or had conferredMat. 17. Aquinas. with him who died meditating on this loue, and saying at his last gaspe, Loue is as strong as death: Cant. 8. 6. or had bene with Philip Melancthon who departed this life saying Egrediamur, egrediamur, or at least hadCant. 3 11. heard sweete Bernard preach thereof, or learned Theodar Beze, both purposing to write their meditations thereon, and to go through this song, but both dying before they could finish it, as being surprised (as I conceiue) with the singular loue of the Lord [Page] Iesus pourtrayed herein most mystically, and diuinely.

But how shall I then dare to aduenture, or take vpon me to open my mouth to set forth this loue? seeing as S. Bernard saith, None can vnderstād Paules Bern. de consyd. ad Euge nium. l. 3. c. 4 meaning, but they that are endued with Paules mind, so none can conceiue the spouses affection, but they that are touched with the like loue. How shall wee either speake of the spouses tender affection, or you heare accordingly? seeing we are all carnall, sold vnder sinne, and these things are mystically, and spiritually discerned. This onely comforts me, that God hath granted two meanes to know these sacred mysteries, the one infused and extraordinarie, onely proper and peculiar to the men of God in the former ages; the other attained by studie, and industrie ioyned with inuocation to God for illumination & grace, the onely sacred reliques of Iesus Christ left to his seruants in these last ages. The Gospel being the foundation of all our sacred skill, out of the which whosoeuer preacheth Christ crucified, hath the mind of Christ. And hauing his mind, we may with reuerend boldnesse auerre, that we also know the true Churches meaning.

Hearken then to the Church here styling Christ, her welbeloued, for he is hers, and shee is his: first, she by way of petition intreateth saying, Shew me (ô thou whom my soule loueth) when thou feedest, where thou liest at noone? And then he by way of replication answereth, My loue, my doue, mine vndefiled, Cant. 5. 2. [Page] open vnto me, for my head is full of dewe, and my haire of the drops of the morning: whereupon the Church doth in eight Chapters in this diuine song, nine and twenty times style him (her best beloued) as if she could neuer too oft remember his vnspeakeable loue towards her his welbeloued. Saint Paule also a sonne of this sacred mother hath in his Epistles fiue hundred times the name of his Lord Iesus, as accōptingCenebrards obseruation. himselfe most happie, when that most sacred name of loue and life sounded in his lips, or was written with his pen. If therefore we of the last and worst generation be transported, and out of our wits as you think (being rauished with the surpassing loue of God, it being shed in our hearts by the holy2 Cor. 5. 13. 14. Ghost) weare it to God: or if we be modest, and in our right mind, we are it vnto you, for the loue of Christ constraineth vs.

S. Iohn the beloued disciple, now being old, writes of nothing else but of this loue, as appeareth in his canonical Epistles, chusing now to die, and depart in beholding the surpassing beautie thereof, insomuch that he summons all degrees, children, yong men and1. Ioh. 2. 14. the aged to the view thereof, as being indeed their heauen vpon earth. For who so abideth in this loue, 1. Ioh. 4. 8. dwelleth in God.

If we shall descend lower to other lights of the Church, we shall also see that this was the earnest, & most certaine pledge that their soules had here, euen to be swayed, and transported with this diuine loue. Euery thing is caried with his weight: Loue is my [Page] weight (saith S. Augustine) by it am I caried, whither soeuer Aug. in Soliloqui Bern. de 2. more Dei. Cyprian. de me [...]o dilig. Dei Euseb. Emiss. I am trāsported. S. Bernard admireth this loue, that God being so great, so greatly should loue vs wretched miscreants, and that freely. Cyprian aduiseth vs to preferre nothing before the loue of Christ, forasmuch as he preferred nothing before our loue. Eusebius Emiss. epitomiseth our seruice thus, Be not distracted with many circumstances, for what God requireth of thee, is in thee, to wit, the seruice of thy mouth by confession, and the affection of thine heart in faithfulnes. In thy heart then hath God set the soules city of refuge, that whence the sin came, the medicine might thence also issue. How nigh then is this remedie? How sweete is this counsell? Of this doubtles spake Moses: It is neare euen in thy Deut. 30. 14. mouth, and in thine heart: miserable therfore is our condition (saith Ierome) not to be with him, without whom we cannot be. Be with God we cannot otherwise (while we are here) then by affection. What (ô loue) can be sufficiently said in thy praise? saith Hugo de S. Victore, seeing through thee God should humble himselfe to descend from heauen, and man should be exalted from earth to heauen; great is thy power, that thus God should be abased, and sinfull man so aduanced.

Thus haue the sacred sonnes of the true Churches generation expressed their affectionate rauishments in this diuine loue, shewing that nothing can be more pious, nothing is more precious. And this heauenly affection also is not onely generall in the whole Church, but also particularly in euery religious soule, which applieth it soundly, certainely, [Page] and sweetly to it selfe, and saith as the spouse here, He is my beloued, by way of appropriation, whereby wee may discerne a twofold certainety of ourCertitudo objecti. faith, the one of the obiect; as that there is a life euerlasting, that Christ died for the sinnes of the world. Both certaine by the promise of God. Yet this is small comfort, vnlesse the other certainety of the subiect also be assured vnto vs. To wit, that this euerlastingCertitudo subiecti. life is prepared for me, and that Christ died for my sinnes. This indeed is the vndoubted worke of faith. Dauid could saie, Blessed is the man whose sins Psal. 32. 1. are forgiuen. Yet this is but Christ in the whole cloth, (as we may say) but Paule had learned to turne Dauids quorum into his owne ego, and say, whereof I am 1. Tim. 1. 15. cheefe, and so cut himselfe a garment therof to couer his owne wretchednes: For he well knew that as manyGal. 3. 27. as were baptized into Christ, had put on Christ. So you see, he is fitted as a garment to weare, and not to gaze vpon.

The reason of this certainty, is this. Because faith maketh that present which is absent. Therfore by theHeb. 11. 1. Spirit of God faith is called The euidence of things not seene. Neither is this certainety of hope, but of knowledge. For S. Iohn saith, We know that when he shall appeare, we also shall appeare in glorie. And S. Paule testifiethRom. 8. 16. that the Spirit assureth our spirits that we are the sons of God. Doubtlesse therefore most restlesse, and most vnquiet is the mind of that man which doubteth of Gods loue. For what auaileth it thee, be thy estate neuer so happie, if it be miserable to thy selfe? What [Page] comfort is it to a king to weare a crowne of gold, albeit in great happinesse of estate, if he be not perswaded of the enioyment therof? What sound solace is it to any Christian to know, that there is a life euerlasting, & yet knowes not whether he shall heare Come ye blessed, or go ye cursed? it being a very dictate of nature,Mat. 25. Seneca. That no man is happy, but he that so thinketh himselfe. The felicity thereof consisting not in the happy expectation, but in the present perswasion.

Thus then you see the appropriation of this loue, how necessarie it is, and not onely herein, but in all other inducements of godlinesse. S. Augustine recordeth that he was conuerted by reading that of S. Aug. lib. confes. 8. cap. 12. Rom. 13. 13. Paule, Rom. 13. Not in chambering, and wantonnesse, strife, and enuying, but put on the Lord Iesus. So S. Augustine applied the Scripture to the particular reformation of his owne life. And Alipius S. Augustines louing consort applied the beginning of the 14. Chapter to the Rom. to the end that S. Augustine might thereby recouer & confirme him that wauered, and staggered in the holy faith of Christ Iesus. So the spouse here appropriateth Gods deere loue to her owne affections, whereby we may learne, That to a deuoted and truly religious soule, Christ Iesus applied The lesson. is the onely loue, and life.

O heare a godly soule speake in her diuine phrases to Christ Iesus, applying him to euery part, to her mouth, saying, Let him kisse me with the kisses of his Cant. 11. mouth, that her words might be gracious, and seasoned by the salt of the spirit of God. 2. To her breasts, [Page] My beloued is as a bundle of myrrhe vnto me, he shall lie betweene my breasts, that by alwaies meditating on him, she might not be drawne aside to the by-paths of follie, and vanity. 3. To her affections, Set me as a Cant. 8 6. seale vpon thine heart, that she might neuer be without his impression. 4. To her actions, And as a signet vpon thine arme, that she might neuer be destitute of his directions. The reason is, For loue is as strong as 7. death, iealousie as cruel as the graue: Much water cannot quench it, neither can the floud drowne it; whence ensueth a whole resignation. Therfore I am my beloueds, Cant. 7. and he is mine. Thus the true spouse. Dauid likewise inPsal. 1 19. the same case, I am thine ô Lord, hide not thy commandements from me. Dauid was now neither for sinne, nor for Sathan, nor for the world, nor for the flesh, nor for his owne selfe, but for the Lord totally by resignation, fully by affection. And verily how can it be otherwise, but that a religious soule should thus wholy deuote it selfe to God in all sacred affection, if it call to mind but these motiues following?

First what Ieremie saith, how the Lord speaketh, when he considered whereof the sonnes of men were made, and weighed, that they were but dust, and therefore in his mercie to them he said it, and not to the Angels that fell, Shall they fall, And not Ier. 8. 4. arise? shall they turne away, and not turne againe? Here is rising from the gulfe of hell, and returning from the bondage, and captiuitie of the diuell, assured vnto vs by promise in Gods preuenting mercie. Secondly when we shall remember that God hath [Page] omitted all his other creatures of heauen and of earth, and as it were neglected them, and hath set his loue onely vpon vs, yea the Angels that fel he hath reserued in chaines of darknesse for the iudgement of the great day, and yet saued a remnant of the sonnes of men. Thirdly, when it shall call to mind, that to all other creatures God hath giuen a directPicus Mirand. in Heptapl. sup. Gen. motion to content themselues in their now being, but to man a circular motion, that we should onely seeke our felicitie in him, in whom we had our beginning. Fourthly, that forasmuch as Gods grace is giuen vs for our guide, in this dangerous world, which ouercometh infallibly the world, the diuell, and the flesh, holdeth the truth inseparably against all heresie and schisme, and leadeth indeclinably into the Paradise of God, we should with all deuoted thankfulnesse entertaine this holy blessednesse. Fiftly, seeing that we may by holy faith (as in a christall mirror) behold the whole holy and vndeuided Trinitie in this worke of louing, sauing and sanctifiing grace, we should as those that had newly receiued their eye sight, after a long blindnesse, be rauished with ioy, and comfort. For see, God the father so loued vs, that he gaue his onely begotten sonne,Ioh 3. &c. that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish, but should haue euerlasting life. God the sonne so loued vs that he would die for vs, God the holy ghost so loued vs, that he maketh request for vs withRom. 8. sighes vnutterable in our soules.

Who would not then gather hence diuine affections [Page] according to the measure of grace giuen vnto vs? calling to mind the precept of Christ which is the summe of all: Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, and with all thy soule, and with all thy mind, that is, saith S. Augustine, Loue him with all thy rightAug. in locum. reason, with all thy earnest affection, and with all thy strongest powers, loue him with all thy vnderstanding, with all thy will, and with all thy memorie; loue him wisely, that thou be not deceiued by the diuell in an angell of light. Loue him sweetly that thou be not allured by the wicked and bewitching world. Loue him valiantly, that thou be not danted with the diuellish proiects, and practises of Gods enemies. See the sparkes of this diuine, and seraphical fire in Daniel who is stiled vir desideriorum, a man neuer satisfied here, but still desiring to be replenished with the full sight of God. Behold them in Esay Esay 26. the Euangelicall Prophet, whose soule desired God in the night season when his eies were bereft of the distractions of the day: In Dauid also whose soule thirsted for the liuing Lord; and in S. Paule who was straitted for want of this enioyment and cried, Who Rom. 7. shall deliuer me wretched man that I am from this body of death?

Doubtlesse these holy soules knew that this loue was all loue vnto them, for euen in naturall loue Christ can be all things vnto thee; whereas thy gold cannot be thy clothing, thy siluer cannot be thy drinke, thy bread cannot be thy light, Christ alone is all this vnto thee. If thou neede necessarie loue, he is [Page] thy protector, and bulwarke. If thou wouldest be happy in loue, with him is the fountaine of liuing life for euer. These considerations, and the like caused Gods children neuer to admit any thing neere their hearts, contrary to this loue, as is the affection inordinate to the creature, but loued the creature onely for the Lords sake. They euer remoued farre from their holy affections all carking care, and ouer much toyling in the businesse, and negociations of this world, as being the deceitfull bane of this loue: vsing indeed the world necessarily, but so as if they vsed it not, which caused their loue to be continuall, not flashes of passion rather then true affection, enduring for a moment, but resembling the loue of the blessed Saints who see God, and loue him for euermore. Againe, they knew that if we would be couetous, and sell our loue, none could buy it dearer, for he will giue vs a kingdome for it: if we would be liberall and giue it, none more worthy of it, for he is absolutely the soueraigne good. But if we would haue our loue strained from vs by violence, he also will vnsheath the sword of the Spirit, and with the blade thereof deuide asunder the soule and spirit, euen with this one stroke, If any man loue not the Lord 1. Cor. 16. [...]2. Iesus, let him be accursed Anathema Maranatha.

Furthermore the faithfull soules will hence gather good degrees and steps of grace, as first, considering euen in nature, that if one had lost an eye, or were distracted of his wit, or were condemned to execution, how would we tender him that could [Page] and would heale our eye sight, restore vs to our right minde, and redeeme vs from the dreadfull horror of death? But Christ hath illuminated vs with the light of grace, that were in the power of darknesse and shadow of death, hath giuen vs repentance vnto life, and regeneration, that were sold to sinne and Sathan, and hath purchased for vs a pardon, that were condemned to euerlasting torments; was made poore that we might be enriched, gaue himselfe for me,Bern. in Solil. (saith Bernard) that I might be giuen to my selfe: yea we owe him now more for redeeming vs, then for making vs. For in the creation he spake the word, and it was done, but in our redemption it cost him his dearest bloud. In this life he hath promised, That Rom. 8. 28. all things whatsoeuer, shall worke together for the best to them that loue him: and in the other life the eye hath not seene, nor the eare heard, nor the heart can conceiue, what is his displaied glory, in seeing him as he is seene, and knowing him as he is knowne. And to purchase this inheritance for vs, see how vilely he esteemes himselfe, being sold for thirtie pence, and prizeth vs, vs (I say) wretches at so high a rate, as his owne most peerelesse, and precious bloud.

O insensible, indurate, and intollerable vnthankfulnesse of the sonnes of Adam, who do not totally resigne themselues, and their affections to this loue! But yet for all this, behold I pray you, and see whether Christ be the beloued of ourage, and the Helena of our countrey, as we would beare the world in hand he is; and be you your selues witnesses in this [Page] case. Do we diligently seeke him (when we haue lost him by our preuarication) as wee vse to do those whom our soule loueth? and as did that much louing soule Mary Magdalen when she sought him at the fearefull sepulcher, and abode there, though a weake woman, and would not be satisfied with looking, but asked Iesus, (then risen) (supposing he had bene a gardiner) If thou hast taken away my Lord, tell Ioh. 20 15. me, where thou hast put him, that I may fetch him. O happie soule that so sought, that she found. Are we often frequenters of his house, and louers of the place where his honor dwelleth; as Anna did, whoLuke 2 37. departed not from the Temple, but serued God day and night with prayers, and fasting? Do we talke of him in our iourneying, as did the disciples that trauelled to Emaus? Do we willingly heare of him, andLuke 24 in hearing lay vp the things in our hearts, as did the blessed Virgin? Do we restore and giue for his sakeLuke 2. Act. 10. as Zacheus, and Cornelius did? Do we suffer reproch gladly for his glory, and reioyce in it as the ApostlesAct 5. Psal. 1. did? Do we loue his commandements as Dauid did? whose studie was in them day, and night. Do we decline from the loue of this world, and as Iacob whoGen. 32. wresting with the angell, fell lame; so we in the businesse with God preuaile, but in the affaires of this world grow cold, and remisse? Do we honor them that serue God as the Galathians did, that would haue pulled out their owne eyes (had not the law of God, and nature forbad them) to do Paul their Preacher good?

[Page]O how farre different are the affections of our times! If we looke the Lord Iesus among some gouernors, they say he is not heere, many of vs haue something else to do then to attend preaching▪ If among some of the rude people, they seldome or neuer thinke of him. If among the giddie hearers, with Peter they answer, we know not the man. If amongMath. 26. the worldly rich, with Demas they haue forsaken the loue of Christ, and haue imbraced this present world. If among the loud, but leude professors, they haue a shew of godlinesse, but haue denied the power thereof. If among the couerous, there is linsey wolsey, as farre as will make for their profit, so farre, and no longer they loue God, nor any of his seruants. If among the ahabaptistical zealous, they say we are not iustified by workes, and therefore wee will do none at all. As if their faith, or any faith were auaileable with God, but that which worketh by loue. For without loue was neuer any man saued, and with loue neuer any damned. If of the worldlings, they are so busie in deuiding Christ his coate, that they cannot awhile to loue. They are of king Ro [...]us mind that vsed to say, That the bread of Christ was sweete, meaning thereby the reuenues of the Church. Not vnlike the refined, and quaint illuminates of our time, who thinke, and say the Church hath to much, yea and do what they can to profane into their owne wicked hands▪ the holy goods of Gods Church, which their forfathers bountifully bestowed vpon her. O good Lord Iesus come quickly, [Page] else thou wilt not haue one foote of ground left at thy second coming, to take possession of this earth that is thine owne, and all things therein by naturall right of inheritance, by merite of redemption, andBero. sup. Cant. gift of thine eternall Father.

Beloued, do we thus reward the Lords loue? foolish people that we are, our affections then are worse then we imagine: for if we giue all we haue, the diuelll offers the whole world, and saies, All this will I Math. 4. giue thee. Do wee fist? the diuell eateth nothing. Do we watch? the diuell sleepeth not. If then we excell him not in holy loue, he farre exceedeth and excelleth vs, both in bountie, temperance, and watchfulnesse. What, are we become lame of both legs as was Mephibosheth, both in our loue to God, & in our affections to men? Let vs then become Ishbosheths the sonnes of shame for it. Let vs be abashed, and confounded at this our ingratitude and neglect, and let vs henceforth expresse in our actions the true conditions of vnfained, and heartie loue.

Let vs (brethren) loue God onely, and all things for him, as did Paule, who accompted all things dung Phil. 3. [...]. that he might gaine the Lord Iesus. 2. Let vs accompt our selues vnhappie that we be not where he is, as did the said Paule, who desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ Iesus. 3. Let vs suffer al things for him, yea death it selfe, that as Paule said to the Elders of Ephesus at Miletum, that we may finish our courseAct. 20. with ioy. 4. Let vs be with him as we may, to wit, in affection, seeing (while we liue here) we cannot [Page] be with him as we would to enioy his blessed presence: which is indeed apostolicall counsell, Set Col. 3. 2. your affection on heauen and heauenly things, saith Saint Paule, and not on earth and earthly things. Let vs loue all things, both persons, and places that belong vntoPsal. 16. 6. him, for our goodnesse extendeth not to him, but to his that are on earth: and to such as excell in vertue. Let vs decke our selues to please him in our wedding garment, the robe of the faith of Iesus. Let vs seeke his glorie, and not endure his dishonor; and let vs weepe when he is absent from vs by his grace, as did Peter; and ioy when he is present with vs in his goodnesse, as did Dauid, who reioyced when it was said vnto him, Let vs go into the house of the Lord. Psal. 122. 1.

Then shall we there see what an one our Loue is, and discerne, yea and hee rauished both with our loues essentiall beautie, and especiall purity; for the true Church is white, not seeming so, nor painted, but natiue, and naturall shining white. The puritie of this bright beautie consists in the essentialnes ( [...]) and especialnesse thereof, white. The essentialitie discerneth it from all hypocriticall, painted, and seeming shewes of goodly lustre, which are for nought but to deceiue: and the especialnesse distinguisheth it in excellency from all other glories, albeit essentiall and true; for this beautie is both essentially especiall, and especially essentiall aboue all others without all compare.

Consult with the wise man (that you be not deceiued with shewes) but in two oracles, and he will [Page] shew you of a glorying generation, and of a painted path▪ from which prosapie or generation a true Christian descends not, and in which way the faithfull beleeuers walke not; for in neither of these shall you finde Christ Iesus in his perfect beautie. There is a generation, saith Salomon, that is wise in their Pro. 30. 11. owne conceipt: yet are not clensed from their filthinesse. This is painted whitenes, or conceited purenes. And There is a way that seemeth iust to a man, but the issues Pro. 16. 25. thereof are the issues of death. This is seeming holines, and pretended righteousnesse. Neither this generation, nor this way is essentiall; for the one is in conceipt, and the other in shew, both deceitfull, both dangerous, yea and (vnlesse repentance come in time) both damnably erroneous. Therein the more fearefull, the lesse those (that content themselues in the one, and proceed [...] in the other) see, and know their sinfull erring, but are led on, and deluded with a conceiptfull, headie, and specious glittering of their owne ouerloued, and ouerweened Helena.

Of this conceiptfull pure generation comes the diuell, and appeares to the witch at Endor in the habit of holy Samuel onely to deceiue. The spies also1. Sam. 28. Luke 20. 20. that were sent to entrap our Sauiour must receiue their descent from this generation, and faine themselues iust men, and demand questions of puritie, and professed holinesse; but the intendment was to turne the taile & sting like a serpentine, surrepent generation. Herod is another impe of this cursed brood, for he pretends worship to the Sonne of God,Mat. 2. 7. [Page] whom he like a sauage beare intends to worrie. Iudas Mat. 2. 6. had the impudent and shamelesse face to say, Is it I? as well as the innocent Apostles: And Iulian the apostate wrote a book entituled Ad Christianos, which altogether intended to peruert, and to vndoe the Christians. All this hypocrisie and painted purity is wrought out by the strength of imagination, andRom. 15. 1. conceit, which S. Paule mannerly termeth flattering of our selues; but the Naturalists shew it to be meere melancholy, phrensie and madnes, vpon which humours the diuell chiefly worketh, and into which he doth most cunningly and subtilly insinuate himselfe to insnare the simple. The instance of Ananias makes this euident, to whom Peter saith, Why hath Acts 5. Sathan tempted thine heart that thou should belie the holy Ghost? That is, See now O Ananias how strangely the diuell hath stirred vp thy fond imaginations, and suggested slily into thy false conceit, that thou shouldest sell thy land in pretended purity, and holy perfection, and yet keepe backe part, and belie the holy Ghost.

This vnpure generation, and all the tribes thereof haue foure principall characters, that as coate-armors demonstrate the pedigree, and deceit thereof, which are, First an inward conceit. Secondly a vanting vtterance therof. Thirdly an affectation of publike applause: and fourthly an admiration of it selfe, ioyned with contempt of all others. All these foure being the waiting maides of ladie selfe loue. By the inward conceit, they are sure, that their breasts be [Page] not transparent like a glasse to be seene through, be their inward parts neuer so wretched, and therefore they rest contēted to be specious in specie, & superficie tantùm, that is, outwardly, to the worlds view; and to God they haue said inwardly in their hearts, Depart from vs, we desire not the knowledge of thy waies. Iob 21. 14. 2. Then lest that this inward conceit should be too priuate, and none take notice of their hypocriticall, and hyperbolicall integritie, like an old bottle they must vent it, or else they would burst, and vtter they must, yea slauer out (rather then faile) their owne fooleries, be they neuer so grosse, or neuer so greeuous to be endured. So that they may be then taken for great ones (they thinke) and haue the names of None such, or the great outcrie of vaine glorieLeuiculus noster Demosthenes. Tull. lib. 5. Tusc. Act. 19. and popularity, and heare others say of them, as the Ephesians doting on their Idol Diana, cried, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And then do they beyond all meane, and measure admire themselues, and their owne beauties, as did Narcissus, and lift vp their plumes with the peacocke, contemning all other in the basest manner, and crying out to their brethren, (whom they most contemptuously despise) like the Elizean spirits to the Tartarian, and say, Procul, ô proculite Vir. lib. 6. Ae. nead. profani.

But yet for all this the whole ranke of them, in the sound iudgement of true and essentiall wisedome, is but a rout of foolish dottards, and dizzie drunkards, doting on their owne conceitfull beauty, and transgressing in the pride of their owne hearts. [Page] Seest thou a man wise in his owne conceit, more hope is of Pro. 26. 12. a foole then of him. See the dottard. The reason is, because a foole is wiser in his owne conceit, then seauen Pro. 26. 16. men that can render a reason. Seest thou a man that is Abac. 2. proud in his heart, he is as one that transgresseth with wine, as did drunken Zebul taking trees for men, and as did mad Aiax taking rammes for lambes, and taking carts for castles, as they do Qui concipiunt aethera mente. The way also that this generation walketh in, is like them, to wit, a seeming iust, and imagined straight way.

For whereas all skill in diuinitie is either opinion, faith, or knowledge; these dizzie dottards are onely guided by opinion, the very fountaine of Atheisme, and the high way to heresie and schisme grounded vpon vncertainties, and seeming truths, but are not guided by the direction of Iesus faith, which hath holy increasings, and doth suscipere maius, Rom. 1. & minus, there being a progresse à fide ad fidem, according to the praier of the yong beleeuer, O Lord increase my faith. These contrariwise take vpon them to know suddenly all reason, all rule, all resolutions, and like ignorant idiots controll euen their learned Priests.

Certainely they might notwithstanding do well to call to minde Saules way, which seemed iust vnto1. Sam. 15. him, when he spared Agag, and the best things for sacrifice, yet the issue thereof was the ouerrhrow of him, and his estate. They might also remember the fierie zeale of Iames and Iohn, that would fire [Page] should come from heauen vpon the Samaritans. But the Lord Iesus told them, that they wotted not of what spirit they were, and sent them to learne a new lesson, euen this, I will mercie, and not sacrifice. There is a way therefore that seemeth right, but the issues thereof are the issues of death. So S. Peter likewise in the tendernes of his hart would not the Lord should suffer at Ierusalem, as he prophesied to his Apostles, Math. 16. saying, Master spare thy selfe: But the Lord called him an aduersarie, and told him that he sauored not of the things of God. In the singularitie also of his good manners, Peter said vnto the Lord, Thou shalt not wash my feete: but whenIoh. 13. he vnderstood better, that if he were not washed, he had no part with him, he suddenly changed his minde, and then would haue his head, and all his body bathed by him. And yet againe in the singularitie of his sincerity aboue all his fellowes, he told his Master, that if all forsooke him, he would not▪ and see his sinfull defect immediatly following, as a punishment of that presumptuous singularity, for he first, and onely denied him, and that most strangely beingMat. 26. vanquished with very slight prouocations. There is a way then that seemeth right to a man, but the issues thereof are the issues of death. In this conceitfull generation then and in this seeming way there is no essentiall worth, much lesse any especiall vertue to be found.

Looke vp then to your Lord Iesus your soules beloued, and in him, and by him you shall see a [Page] beautifull generation, regenerated by grace, who are of his owne generation, and partake of his diuine graces by the measure of sanctification giuen them: they are also a choice generation set apart for himselfe, and for his seruice, which are stiled, The generation of them that seeke the Lord. The way that they insist in is a right way, not of opinion, but of iudgement; For all the waies of God are so many iudgements, Deut. 9. saith Gods secretary Moses. These turne neither to the right hand too superciliously, nor to theNicolaus de▪ Lyra sup. 5. cap. Exod. left hand too superstitiously, but keepe the old, ancient and perfect way to God; Christ himselfe being their direction in this blessed way, for he is verbum genitum, the begotten word; and the way to him is by verbum scriptum, the written word. If therefore I should haue my wish, I would rather choose to be a doorekeeper to this generation of essentiall goodnesse, then to dwell in the glorious tents of seeming holinesse; and I shall rather be at sea, tossed with a tempestuous storme in the ship with those that humblie professe themselues sinners, then on the shore in the table of those Pharisies that iustifie themselues with their hideous haughtinesse.

Now as this bright beautie is essentiall in the substance: so also it is especiall in the brightnesse, and excellencie thereof. For there are foure sorts of whitenes: First fanatically phantasticall whitenes. Secondly superficiall whitenes. Thirdly naturall whitenes; but changeable in the subiect. Fourthly natiue whitenes, and not changeable in the subiect. [Page] The first is the diuell transformed into an Angell of light, for he is fanatically phantasticall white. The man that had a blemish of white in his eye was debarred from the priesthood, & was resembled to the owle, of whom the Naturalists yeeld the reason, that shee cannot see in the day time, because of the exceeding great whitenes she hath in her eyes, which scattereth so the sight, that the optiques thereof cannot discerne perfectly the obiects. Such are all those that conceiue themselues pure, and yet are not washed and cleansed from their euill conscience, who say they see, and therefore their sinnes remaine; for had they bene blind, they might pretend some excuse, but now all excuse is taken from them, because they say that they see. The superficiall white are painted sepulchers, and whited walls, loathsome within, and the best is but woodden without, like the gilded potsheard Salomon speakes of, that the next shower of raine discouereth to be but an outcast for the potters field, how gloriously soeuer it glister. The natural white, but changeable, are they that are borne faire, but afterwards by the Sunne and soyle they become blacke and Aethiopian-like. Semblable are those that begin in the spirit of grace, and bright beautie, and end in the fraile and filthy flesh. The natiue and vnchangeable whitenes is that of pearelesse, and pricelesse diamonds, whose least sparkle will shine, and giue true luster, albeit it be seuered from the whole.

Such was, and is this speciall Candor in our welbeloued [Page] Lord Iesus, and his chosen, who euen in this life haue these white robes in part put on them mentioned in the Reuelation, not their owne conceitedApoc. 3. attire of the righteousnesse of workes, but Gods owne righteousnesse; and they haue also the white stone giuen them, which is sanctification in some measure as an earnest penny, and pledge of further fauor, and future beautie, to be perfected in glory. Behold then with milke white, and pure eyes of holy faith your Lord Iesus especiall and perfect whitenesse, your precious diamond in especialnesse, by whom all wee, and as many as haue gone before vs being his holy seruants, haue bene beautified, and graced.

First as he is Emanuel, that is, God with vs: His conception pure, he was conceiued by the holy Ghost. 2. His birth pure, he was borne of an vndefiled virgin. 3. His life the perfection of sanctimony, for there was no guile found, no not in his mouth: And he is perfect, that offends not in his tongue. Iam 3. 4. His doctrine pure, correcting all the vnpure glosses of the reformalizing Pharisies; as in old time it was said, Thou shalt not kill, but Christ taught trueMat. 5. puritie, that wee should not be angry with our brother vnaduisedly. Teaching thereby, that furie and wrath doth oft transport vs to fell and desperate actions, and therefore his holy doctrine as an axe strooke at the roote. Againe, it was said of old time Thou shalt not commit Adulterie in act. But Christ taught vs not to looke on a woman to lust after her, [Page] and so in turning away our eyes, we should not behold vanitie: Likewise it hath bene said, Thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe. But Christ taught that wee should not sweare at all; for be doubtlesse that vseth to sweare much, must needs sometime forget, and forsweare himselfe. And it hath bene said of old, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour, & hate thine enemy. But Christ taught, Thou shalt loue thine enemie; for that is the exaltation of Christian charitie aboue all other loues. Nay, of euery idle word he told vs that we must render an account. Oh holy lessons, ô sacred discipline! how pure is the beautie hereof, how precious the sinceritie? In his death therefore, neither death nor he that had the power of death could finde any part whereon to fasten their intended furie, but in spite of death, and the diuell, and the wicked world, he was declared mightily to be the Sonne of God, byRom. 1. 2. the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection from the dead.

We may learne then out of this which hath bene alreadie said, That the puritie of a sincere conscience The lesson. consists in essentiall and sanctified actions, and not in seeming holinesse of froward and dottish factions. The blessing being promised to the pure in heart, and notMat. 5. to the wordy pure, but to the worthy, of whom it is also said, That to such all things are pure: but ofTit. 1. the other, That their very consciences are defiled, and they themselues (howsoeuer reputed holy for some good workes) yet reprooued to euery good worke.

The reason, because God requireth truth in the [Page] inward parts, and the searcher of the heart knoweth what is in man. Likewise because no vnpure thingApoc. 22. shall enter into the kingdome of God, and therefore surely no party propale Christian that dealeth hypocritically shall there haue entrance: I wonder therefore that any will be so foolish as to make themselues odious euery way by their seeming holinesse. First to the world, for the world hateth euen those that are Christians but in shew. For it can discerne no further. Secondly they are abhominable to God who hates them because they are but in shew. And lastly they are traitors to themselues, in deceiuing their owne soules and consciences with deceitfull dreames of sanctitie.

But let vs a little lanch forth, and ken the diuell transforming himselfe into an Angell of light and brightnesse, and boasting both of puritie, and preheminence aboue, and before all others, both in Iudaisme, and also in Christianisme, as he euen yet worketh with too too many in this our age. In Iudaisme we will take a view but of the Pharisies, Sadduces, Essens, and Hemerobaptists. The Pharisies were men separate from others in respect of their pretended perfection, they were pure in their garments, pure in their deuotion, pure in their laundring.Pharisies.

Their vestures must be enuironed, and the borders made broade with the commandements of God embrodered thereon. Luc. 11. Mat. 15. Their deuotion such that they would not cure on the Sabbath [Page] were the sicknesse neuer so desperate, nor plucke an eare of corne in the extremity of hunger. Their washings diuers, both of hands, pots, boords, and what not? Yet for all this outward pretended purenesse, Christ the true Doctor, and teacher of perfection tells them seauen times in one Chapter,Mat. 23. that they were meere hypocrites and dissemblers.

The Sadduces so pure in their owne conceit, thatSadduces. they onely, and no other were the true Iustitiaries: yet were they so sottish that they neither knew Angell, nor spirit; and then iudge how brutish, how bestiall, and how carnall they were.

The Essens thought themselues both essentiall,Essen [...]. and especially pure aboue all others in the world. They wore white robes at all their refections, they obserued so strictly and precisely the Sabbath, that in that day they would not make a fire, nor stop a runningIoseph. antiquit. lib. 18. cap. 2. Item de bello Iudaico. lib. 2. cap. 7. vessell, nor lay an apple in the fire, nor knocke vpon a table to still a childe, nor quench a burning, nor spit, nor do the requisits of nature; yet Epiphanius rankes them in the ranke of branded heretickes.

The Hemerobaptists euery day did baptize andHemerobaptists. drench themselues in water, imagining that all their sinnes were thereby washed away, for [...]asse ex opere operato; whereas Epiphanius saith, that the whole ocean,Epiph. de haeres. and all the flouds in the world cannot purge one sinne.

These were the seemings of Iudaisme, all dying in their dreaming diuinitie. In Christendome what [Page] should I recall from hell the old Cathari, that pretendedEpiph de haeres. the onely purity of life? the Gnostiques that had (as they deemed) the impropriation of all diuine knowledge; or Manes that onely boasted of the Paraclete: seeing our later age of fresher memorie hath heard of, yea and seene fanaticall Anabaptists, dreaming Euthusiasts of reuelation, and hideous visions, rebaptizations, and new pretended policie of Church, and common wealth? And we see many are daily misled, and misperswaded by Iesuites, the rare illuminates accompted of the world, who pretend aboue all the rest of their frie to be the most perfect in respect of their direction in all negociations, in ordine ad Deum; and most sacred in that holy exercise which they obtrude vpon their nouices, that subiect and deuote themselues vnto them; yet are they no other indeed but the Chimeraes, and Gorgons heads of ridiculous and fanaticall fopperie.

From out all these impious and impure routes of pretended purity and perfection, the view of the sacred beauty of the true purity, and perfection of Christ Iesus doth deliuer vs; and teacheth vs that men are deceiued most with shewes, and that the diuell when he meanes most mischiefe then doth he (as Iezabel did) paint and set out himselfe to shew. Let vs therefore hence learne important considerations, and wise iudgements, and let vs trie the spirits whether they be of God, or no; for all is not gold that glittereth, saith the old, and true English Adage.

[Page]Is there one that can cunningly expound the Scriptures? Do not suddenly beleeue him, for so could the caytiffe Caiphas. Is an other skilfull in all diuine, and humane hearing? so was Iulian, yet an apostate. Hath an other receiued gracious, and principall gifts of Gods spirit? So had Saule the reprobate. Do others know the mysteries of faith, of Moses, and of the Prophets? So knew King Agrippa, yet [...]. his best was but almost a Christian. Can others foretell, and presage things to come? So could bawling Balaam, being a base hireling. Can they cite the Scriptures? So could the damned diuel. Are they readie in the Fathers of the Church, and in the Councels? so were the ancient hereticks Faustus, Arrius, Manichaeus. Especially note them if they pretend holy and pure names, as do the mahumeticall Saracens at this day, boasting that they came of Sara the free woman, when as indeed they are Agarens of Agar, as Zosomen a thousand yeares agoe obserued;Sozomen. 6. 38. Ioseph. de antiquit. Iud. lib. 18 cap. 2. Act. 5. And as the Iudaites did call themselues of Iudas the Gaulonite or Galilean, who would not endure the name of Lord to be attributed to any creature. They themselues being a rabble (as the booke of God tells vs) of desperate cutthroates.

Beware then of false prophets, and be assured that as many as partake of this beauty are essentially sincere, not in words onely but in deeds, not in conceit or opinion, but in vnderstanding and verity; for whatsoeuer they beleeue, it is either of nature, grace, or glory. The things of nature they see, touch, [Page] and feele. The blessings of grace they reade, they perceiue, they enioy, and ioy in the certaine expectation of glory which euen now they haue a taste of and earnestly long after. The things they hope for are not Absolons pillar, set vp in the kings dale, nor the flower of the poppie, the hypocrites hypothesis. But those beatitudes which they expect are sure, certaine, and euen in this life by faith euident. The things they ought to do they acknowledge to be the mandates of the highest God. Therefore to be performed. They know they are iudgements, not opinions, therefore to be subscribed vnto. They are statutes like these of the Medes and Persians, therefore not to be repealed: they are testimonies, and therefore binde the consciences. We pray therefore That this name may be sanctified by goodnesse, not dishonored by seeming godlines. That his will may be done in sincerity, not neglected with pretence of purity, and that his kingdome may come vnto vs in verity, and not we put it from vs in deceitfull integrity.

For the life of an hypocrite is [...], a masked mummery, not [...] a knowne veritie. His faith is [...]; of things imaginary, not [...], of soliditie. His memoriall as a post that hastneth by, his good deeds as the trace of a ship in the waters, no where to be seene; and his glory as the waffing of a birds wings in the aire, but her passage appeares not. Let the Atheist then tremble hereat, for he is indeed the diuels vizard. Let the Libertines feare that arose frō Coppin and Quintan in the Low countries, being the [Page] basery of basenesse. Let the begetters and hatchers of new opinions be amazed, who more trust their priuate spirit then the streame of iudgement, who had rather be the head of a foxe then the taile of a lyon, and choose rather with imperious Caesar to be the first and chiefe of meane and beggerly Tarentum, then the second of imperiall and triumphant Rome.

And let vs (men and brethren) be rauished with the true, and matchlesse beautie of our Lord Iesus Gods best beloued, our welbeloued; and let vs be Reals, not Nominals onely, knowing that we looke not for an imaginary heauen, but for the heauen of heauens, the coelum coelorum; being alwaies mindfull of that of our Sauiour: Vnlesse your righteousnes Mat. 5. 20. exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies, (that is, of all hypocriticall and seeming professors) you cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen.

Come then ye faithfull soules vnto this pure and bright fountaine of grace, and his bloud shall purge you from all sinnes past, present, and to come: Come to this pure fountaine, for here is the cleane water that Ezechìel speakes of, powred out vpon youEzech▪ 36. to purifie you in Gods sight by the inuisible hand of the sacred Trinitie. Call vpon God that he may wash you with hysope of grace here, that you may be truly cleane as all his people are, and that in the end he may present you beautifull and blamelesse in his displaied glory, in the bright and white eminent robes of his owne righteousnesse in Christ, our [Page] onely mediatour, and perfecter.

And then doubtlesse our soules shall yet further see, euen in this life, another glimpse of this surpassing beautie; for our beloued is not onely white, but ruddie also; white in purenesse, ruddy in zealous loue towards vs, both seraphicall, and cherubicall, herein both wholy passible, and wholy amiable. Let vs reuiew then this his zealous loue in the mystery of the colour prefiguring his passion; and in the history of the substance, performing the forespoken prophecies.

There is a threefold red. 1. a skarlet red. 2. a roseall red. 3. a purple red: all prefiguring this our welbeloued in his sufferings, and really performed in him. Who is this that cometh from Edome (that is, frō this cursed earth) saith Esay, with red-coloured clothes of Bozrah, that is, with trophies of victory and triumph? &c. There is skarlet red, Esay 63. 1. I am the rose of the field, and the lillie of the vallies, saith Christ of himselfe: there is roseall red, Cant. 2. 1. And in the Gospel we reade, that his enemies put a purple garment vpon him, to portend his purple death. This colour was also prefigured in the red sea that saued Israel; in the red cowe in the sacrifices; in the red cord in Reahabs window, the secure hostageIos. 1. of warre; in the red threed about Zarahs arme in hisGen. 38. 27. Mat 1. 3. Be [...]. sup. Cant. birth, of whose pedegree Christ descended. Oh, our welbeloued is a violet in humilitie, a lillie in puritie, a rose in suauity.

You see the colour, behold also the substance, and [Page] performance of this zealous loue; which to display vnto you, I shall be bold to take vp Ieremies proclamation vsed in his Lamentations, and say vnto you as if Christ himselfe spake in person, and shewing you his sufferings, should crie: Haue ye no regard all ye Ier. Lament. 1 12. that passe by this way? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like vnto my sorrow which is done vnto me, and wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his fierce wrath. For what could he haue suffered that he did not suffer? He was most lamentably afflicted by all sorts of men for whom he suffered. Despised he was of Iewes. 2. Scorned of Gentiles; Princes of the Psal. 2. earth stood vp, and kings banded themselues against the Lord, and against his Christ. 4. Priests conspire inMat. 26. counsell, and choose a murtherer rather then the Lord of life. Souldiers deuide his vestures. 6. His owne seruants flie from him, Iudas betraies him, Peter denies him. Thus we may on all sides see Iewes and Gentiles, Princes and Priests, souldiers and seruants,Act. 3. doing whatsoeuer the Lord of heauen had determined before to be done.

Looke vpon him againe, and see him perplexed in all his members, with loathsome spittings in his blessed face, with piercing thornes vpon his sacred head, with buffets vpon his comely cheekes, with stripes vpon his manly backe, and with the transverse part of the crosse vpon his glorious shoulders. 3. Impeached in his estate with scornefull reproches, his good name wronged with blasphemies, his honor trampled vpon with shamelesse obloquies, his holy [Page] garments shared with profane lottery, and his reputation stained with the association of theeues▪ 4. Tormented in his senses, his touch with the piercing nayles, his sent with the loathsomnesse of Caluarie, the place of dead sculs; his hearing with wicked detractions, his sight with the sorrow of his blessed mother, and with the moane of his beloued disciple: his taste with gall, and vineger. Inwardly also distressed; for his soule is heauie euen vnto the death: so that he cries, Father, if it be possible let this cup passe from me; and sweateth clots of bloud that trikle downe Luke 22. to the earth, to blesse it that was accursed: At which time an Angell is sent from heauen to comfort him. Yea in the extremity of this his vnspeakeable passion he cries with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Yet none of this, nor all this could suffice vntill he had yeelded vp his sacred soule into the hands of his heauenly Father.

Blessed, and beloued men, fathers, and brethren in this our Beloued, is not this his zealous loue the roseall beautie of our benediction? 1. Is not this that bloud that purgeth vs from all our sinnes? 2. that speaketh better things for vs then the bloud of Abel? for that called for vengeance, but this craues for vs mercie. 3. Is not this the sacrifice whereby we haue remission of our sinne? 4. Is not this the reconciliation whereby wee do partake of the diuine nature, this sacred bloud being shed into our hearts by the Spirit of God? 1. Is not this red sea the bath for all sinners, to cure vs of our leprosies of incontinency, [Page] of our lethargies of ingratitude, of our dropsies of couetousnesse, and of our palsies of inconstancy, and strayings aside from God? 3. Is not this the oblation that maketh God propitious, and a louing father vnto vs? openeth the kingdome of heauen that was shut, and sealeth vnto vs all the holy promises of God?

Let then a beleeuing soule say, O Lord Iesus what shall I repay vnto thee for this thy loue? I owed the debt, and thou didst pay it: I haue sinned, and thou art punished; this whole worke of thine is singular patience, the performance of it wonderfull humility, the cause vnspeakeable charity. I haue circuited the whole earth, and can finde no where any such loue, as in thy glorious passion, the breadth whereof is Charity diffused, dilating it selfe into the fowre parts of the world. The length is long suffering, for thou hast borne mans iniquities; the height is the hope of heauen, and a certaine assurance of the same. The depth of it, is deliuerance from the lowest deepe the pit of fatall and finall destruction. If any should perswade me to come downe from the high meditation of this sacred mystery, I should greatly refuse it: for it shall euer be a bundle of Myrrhe betweene my breasts; yea here will I die, and not descend vntill the Lord stretch his hand from heauen, and take me into his holy sanctuary.

But to the retchlesse and respectlesse soule which regardeth none of this, our welbeloued saith farther, See what I suffer; these paines, these grones, these [Page] moanes, these nayles, these thornes, this speare; this profusion, and red sea of crimson bloud: yet am I much more inly tormented, that thy wilfull soule should yet be vnthankfull for this so vnspeakable loue, for this so vnutterable and grieuous passion, sustained for thy sake, to make thee a wretched sonne of man by nature, to become a blessed sonne of God by grace.

Let vs beloued, and beleeuing brethren take yet a reuiew of this blessed beauty in the sacred mixture of white and red, for he is ruddy both in himselfe, and in his mysticall members. 1. In himselfe his beauty appeares ruddie; for in the sacrament he is white in the bread, and red in the wine: therefore in the Scripture stiled sometime Manna, which was white, like the christall dew; and sometime a Vine which yeeldeth red grapes to glad the heart of man. The grapes of this sacred vine were the parts of his body, the crosse the wine presse, his bloud the holy liquor thereof, making glad both God, and man: God in the holy obedience of his sacred Sonne, purchasing himselfe a glorious kingdome; and man in the saluation of his sinfull soule. These sacred seales of bread and wine shew the Lords death vntill he come againe. Iosephs coate besprinkled with bloud, portended him to old Israel as dead, but not actually; but these shew our true Ioseph to be crucified, and done to death in deed; and yet he like Sanpsons lion sends forth euen in, & after his death, sweete hony combes, and most redolent graces. For his death abateth the [Page] sting of death, abandoneth sinne, despoileth sathan the strong man of his weapons, and procureth for vs that die in him the land of the liuing.

This holy mixture of white and red appeared in the opening of his side, whence flowed water and bloud, this blessed opening being much more powerfull then Moses rod; for that caused water onely to come out of the rocke, but this both water and bloud. The Fathers therefore obserue, that as out of the side of the first Adam the woman was taken by whom came sinne: so out of the side of the second Adam the Church should be framed, to saue (as Noahs arke) the sonnes of men from the generall and fearefull deluge of sinne, and shame. Let then now all Histories tell, or historiographers of the world shew if in any age they haue seene or read, how that a mans limmes did showre downe streames of bloud, or that in any agony the face of man should stand beset with drops of crimson bloud. Neither doth this content the holy wisdome of God, but that also wee should see this loue of Christ resembled, yea testified vnto vs againe in reference, euen in his mysticall members, that is, in the beleeuers, by forgiuing whose sinnes he hath made them pure and white in his fight, and giuing also many of them grace, and honouring them so farre, that they willingly suffered as martyrs, whereby they also became purple red. Of the first white this is vnderstood: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be cleane; Psal. 51. wash me, and I shall be whiter then snow. This is the [Page] perfect beauty indeed to be purged from sinne. Of the second it is said of his beloued martyrs, That they Apoc. 12. were prodigall of their liues euen vnto the death, for the testimony of the Lord Iesus. Such were Iames, Antipas, Ignatius, Polycarpus in the former ages; and all other euen those thousands (in hose Mariana tempora) whom fire and faggot deuoured, and all other exquisite torments that could be deuised by the wicked, bloudy, butcherlike mindes of Gods enemies. All which blessed soules were translated to God whom they loued, in fierie chariots of persecution, and were rapt vp with Elias to the vision of the eternall God. This being indeed their matchlesse felicitie, that they were so greatly honored of their God, that they should shadow out vnto him his Christ whipped, stocked, striken, stoned, tormented, tortured, and bloudily butchered.

Let not then the vaine and gallant minions of the world boast of their venereous ladies, or of their bright curtizans, or Helenaes, on whom they dote, which are but as the dunghils & vnsauory salt of the earth; for behold here is a lillie and a rose from heauen, euen our Lord Iesus, a white lillie deuoide of sinne, and a damaske rose in his pure and crimson passion. And let them againe behold his martyrs as pure lillies cloathed with his righteousnesse, and as red roses in their sacred martyrdomes, into whose calendar euery beleeuing soule should desire rather to be registred, then in the catalogue of all the worlds misbeleeuing or misperswaded Magnificoes.

[Page]And seeing beloued that we are come to bloud, let vs pause a little, and stand still awhile as the people did when in the wars they came, and saw Azael lie weltring in his bloud; and let vs see the godly suffer for the godles, the guiltlesse for the guilty. Let vs looke vp to the crosse, and see our Sauiour lie weltring, gasping, crying, bathing, strugling, and dying in his bloud. Dauid could say, when he saw the Angell of the Lord kill the people with the plague of pestilence: I haue sinned, what haue these sheepe done? But Christ might haue said otherwise; These sheepe haue sinned, what haue I done? I am constrained to pay the things I neuer tooke. What more (blessed brethren) could he haue done for his vineyard? what greater loue can be shewed, then for a man to die for his friends? yet our welbeloued died for vs his enemies. But what doth the Lord require at our hands in retribution for all these blessings? Surely onely faith, and feruency of zeale, by which we also shall become white and ruddie by his sanctifying and by his sauing grace. Faith is as Iacobs hand, which will not let the Angell go vntill he haue the blessing. It is also as Iacobs robe put on to gaine our elder brother Christ Iesus his blessings; and it is the wedding garment wherewith we must enter into the wedding house of our spouse. And feruency of zeale is an effect of our loue, and is an heroicall, and magnanimious vertue shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost, whereby we are moued to holy anger when either the glory of God, his truth, or his honor is violated. [Page] Behold the zealous, and ruddy beautified Christians in this kind: Who will rise with me against the wicked? or who will take my part against the euill doers? saith Dauid the Lords worthy; And in anotherPsalm. 119. Psalme, I fainted because men kept not thy law. And againe, The zeale of thine house hath euen eaten me vp.

The zeale of God doth eate one vp, when God giueth such courage and magnanimity of heart vnto some one man, that he withstands many mightie and malicious transgressors; and yet is not remoued from his holy valour and resolution, though the earth be moued, and the mountaines caried into the midst of the sea. Such an one was Elias against all Baals false prophets, and Micheas against the foure hundred false prophets of Ahab: and of late yeares Martin Luther against the Pope and all his complices. But we in our last, and worst age eate vp the zeale of God, because wee do not resist the euill wherein totus mundus ponitur, the whole world lieth; nor the arrogancie of the presumptuous, nor the malice of the mighty, nor the haughtines of the proud, nor the tyrannie of the oppressors: but like bastards, and not children, declaring to our owne selues that we haue not one drop of the good bloud of our heauenly Father in vs; for bonus sanguis non mentitur: honorable bloud cannot dissemble, we suffer God to be blasphemed in our hearing, Christ to be scorned, his sacred Ministrie to be despised; and we in the meane while either assent thereunto, or neglect to [Page] rebuke it; which sheweth that we partake not at all of this diuine and roselike beautie.

O that the Seraphicall zeale of God had inflamed the Princes, the Prelates, and people of the Christian world, as it did Dauid: not a martiall zeale which is a feruour without discretion, but a zeale according to knowledge; not anger per vitium, but holy anger by zeale; not priuate grudge, but zeale appertaining to the vocation and calling we are of, which hath both a good roote, and a good end. Such as was Elias zeale for the Lord of hoastes against idolatrie: Such as was Phineas zeale against the beastlinesse of Zmiri the sonne of Sale, and Cozbi: Such as was Ezechias zeale for the peoples reuolt; Such as was good king Iosias zeale, for the Lords dishonor among the Priests: Such as was Nehemiahs zeale when he heard the people speake halfe Hebrew, halfe Ashdod, halfe Sur, halfe Sion, halfe Christ, halfe Belial.

Oh, to these holy Cherubicall zeales I exhort you (beloued) in the name of the Lord. Be you angrie with those that are angrie with God, when tribulation befals them, or if their hearts bee not glutted with all the delights they desire, or if God do not fill their bellies with onions, and garlike, and other such like grosnesse. Be angrie with preachers that lie as Ionah did vnder the gourd, and preach not. Be angrie with the dogs that returne to their vomit, and with hogs that wallow in the mire, albeit they haue bene ten times purged. Be angrie with vice that [Page] ruleth, with the diuell that rageth, with vanity that reigneth, with lies that sway almost euery where. It remaineth that I onely acquaint you with a safe station (while you are here) to stand in, and a powerfull supplication (while wee are here) to pray with.

Let your station be like that of Elias in mount Horeb, who stood in the clifts of the rockes entrance, vntill the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire (in all which God was not) were passed by; but when he heard a soft, and still voice, he came out, and stood before the Lord: so let vs be continually meditating the passion and rents of our rocke Christ Iesus, and hiding our selues therein, while the winds of wickednesse, the earthquakes of changings and chances, the fire of might and malice, and while all the works of darkenesse (wherein God is not) passe by; vntill we heare a soft, and sweete voice of the Lord to call vs forth of our station to rest: Then let vs go forth willingly vnto our welbeloued, and loue him, and liue with him for euer. Let our prayers and supplications in the meane while be the words of the hard-hearted and misbeleeuing Iewes, but not theirMat. 26. spirit; for they cried, His bloud be vpon vs, and vpon our children: and it was, and is so to their vtter ruine, and desolation, euen vntill this day, as a iust iudgment of God, for their crucifying the Lord of life. But we will pray, and say in the spirit of the faith of Iesus in whom we beleeue: His holy bloud be vpon vs, and vpon our children to our saluation, according [Page] to Gods blessed promise made to the Patriarks, Prophets, and to all the faithfull.

For he is the chiefest of ten thousand, &c. or as some reade it, the chiefest of twelue thousand; where in wee may see the mystery of the number, both of ten and twelue; as also the excellency of the partie, that he is the chiefest in heauen, and the choicest on earth, together with the perfection of both heauen and earth in himselfe, and imparted to his chosen the Church of the redeemed. The Papists, imitating the Platonists, are very superstitious in numbers, the one putting a fatall necessity in them in the period of estates and kingdomes; the other affirming a certaine secret efficacy to be in many numbers, but in the septenary number especially. Hence haue they their canonicall houres for prayer, and sacrifice. But Bodin in his booke de Repub. iustly taxeth Plato for that dreame. And the schooles conclude against them both, that Numeri, qua numerus, nulla vis, nulla efficacia. Wee therefore will content our selues with the holy and mysticall vse, which the booke of God maketh of them. The mysticall numbers of sacred text are these, to wit, three, foure, fiue, sixe, seauen, eight, ten, twelue. Ten and twelue meete vs in this text by variation of readings, both signifying perfection. Ten is the highest of simple numbers, all nations after ten begin to number againe. The tenths was consecrated to the Priests, Gods seruants. In the tenth moneth the waters of Noahs floud abated. Sem a father of the faithfull [Page] seeth the tenth age: Ten words for the Creation of the world, and ten words for the gouernment thereof, as the Talmudists obserue.

For twelue, we reade of twelue Patriarches the sonnes of Iacob, twelue stones set vp in Iordan, twelue precious stones in the breast plate of Aaron. At twelue yeares Salomon decideth the plea of the dead child. Christ the true Salomon at twelue yeares disputeth with the Doctors. Twelue Apostles are sent to perfect the kingdome of grace. Twelue foundations, twelue gates, twelue Angels the porters; a tree that beareth twelue manner of fruites medicinable all the twelue moneths of the yeare, describe the perfection of the kingdome of glory in the celestiall Ierusalem.

Thus we see, that the mysterie of the number sheweth onely the excellency of the perfection of the partie, being the chiefest in heauen and earth, so described by Iohn the Diuine, Apoc. 5. A throne is seene in heauen, one sitting theron hauing a booke in his hand written within and without, sealed with seauen seales. But none was found neither in heauen, nor in earth, nor vnder the earth worthie to open the booke, no nor once to looke into it. Then wept the Diuine because none was found worthie to open the booke; or once to looke therein. But one of the Elders said, Weepe not: Behold the Lion of the tribe of Iuda, the stocke of Dauid, hath so preuailed, that he may open the booke, and loose the seales thereof.

[Page]This booke is Gods will, these seauen seales are loosed, and made knowne vnto vs by the declarationRom. 1. of Iesus Christ. The first seale is his Natiuitie opened, Mal. 4. 2. But vnto you that feare my name, shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise, and health shall be vnder his wings, and ye shall go forth, and grow vp as fat calues.

The second his Baptisme, Zach. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem, for sinne and for vncleannesse.

The third his Passion, poutrayed by Esay 53. chap. throughout.

The fourth his Descent deciphered Hosh. 13. 14. I will redeeme them from the power of the graue, I will deliuer them from death: O death, I will be thy death: O graue, I will be thy destruction.

The fift is his Resurrection, recorded Psal. 16. 10. For thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.

The sixt his Ascension, described Psal. 68. 18. Thou art gone vp on high, thou hast led captiuity captiue, and receiued gifts for men, yea euen the rebellious bast thou led, that the Lord might dwell there.

The seauenth is the sending of the holy Ghost, pointed out vnto vnto vs, Ioel 2. 28. And afterward will I powre out my Spirit vpon all flesh, and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie, your old men shall dreame dreames, and your yong men shall see visions.

By the opening of the first seale, to wit, his Natiuitie, [Page] whereby he became flesh, he hath redeemed vs from being worse then very brute beasts. For man being in honor vnderstood it not, and therefore was compared to the beasts that perish. S. Augustine speaking of the grace of the new Testament comforteth vs thus saying: Let no man despaire, but conceiue hope vnspeakable, for by participation of the word, we become the sonnes of God, seeing that Iesus Christ by incarnation is become the sonne of man. Aske your forefathers, saith Moses, and the daies of old, euen since the day that God created man vpon the earth, and aske from the one end of heauen vnto the other, if there come to passe such a great thing as this. Did euer people heare the voice of God speaking out of the midst of a fire, as thou hast heard, and liued? If Moses spake thus of the voice of an Angell (for the law was giuen by the ministrie of Angels) what may we say of the gracious words of eternall life, vttered by the Lord of life? Indeed the cloud that led the people of God in the wildernesse, was darke toward the Aegyptians, but bright and lightsome toward the Israelits: So if our Gospell be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, for now the booke is opened, and the seales loosed.

By Baptisme the second seale we put on Christ, Gal. 3. 2. For as many as are baptized into Christ, haue put on Christ, & are engraffed into him by the Spirit, Rom. 6. For if we be graffed into him by the similitude of his death: euen so shall we be in the similitude of his resurrection. It being the lauacre of regeneration both priuatiuely, and positiuely; priuatiuely in forgiuing [Page] our sinfulnesse, and positiuely in conferring his owne righteousnesse vpon vs, begun by sanctification, perfected by glorification. This blessed seale of sacred baptisme being vnto vs [...], as Clemens Alexandrinus calleth it, the counterpoise of all deadly venime of corruption, being also the diluuium peccati, as Nazianzen cleapes it, the deluge of sinne; the water of adoption, so Basil; and the purgatory of life, so Chrysostome. These vertues being not in the element, nor in the weight of the worke, nor in the intention of the Baptizer, but onely in the bloud of Christ, which purgeth vs from sinne and shame.

By the third seale, to wit, his Passion we are reconciled to God the Father, and sealed to euerlasting life. Behold the wounds of Christ hanging vpon the crosse, his precious bloud shed in his agony of death, the price of our redemption. Behold againe his head on the crosse inclined to heare vs pray, his heart opened that we might see his deare loue, his armes stretched forth to embrace vs, his whole body exposed to shame, scorne, and torture, to redeeme vs.

His descent the fourth seale was the death of death, and the death of the diuell who had the power of death, the ruine of the gates of hell, that they might neuer preuaile against his people, the triumph ouer darknesse, and the defiance of all hellish power, and principalities.

By his resurrection the fift seale, our corruption [Page] putteth on incorruption, the bandes of death are broken, the horror of the graue is turned to sweete repose and sacred rest in the Lord.

By his ascension the sixt seale reuealed, is opened an entrance to heauen for vs, from whence before wee were exiled. He is entred himselfe not in his owne name, but in ours, according as he himselfe saith, I go to prouide you a place. Ioh. 14. In a word, he ascended to fulfill all things, the earth with his mercie, hell with his iustice, and the heauens with his glory.

The mission of the holy Ghost being the seauenth seale, hath furnished the Christian Church of the redeemed with the seauenfold graces of his glorious spirit. Gregory vpon Ezech. saith, that seauen ascents or steps were to go vp into Ierusalem the holy citie, mystically signifying the seauen graces of Gods spirit tending to the perfection of Christian glory.

The first of these gifts is filiall feare, making vs humble.

The second, Christian pietie, making vs mercifull.

The third, diuine knowledge, making vs discreet.

The fourth, sacred intelligence, causing vs to be prouident.

The fift is the wisdome of God, making vs prudent.

The sixt, fortitude, setting vs free.

The seauenth, counsell, making vs wise to saluation in euery occurrence.

[Page]These graces of Gods Spirit are also signes vnto our brethren, and seales vnto our selues, of our heauenly perfection. For by his reuealed Natiuity wee as new borne babes in the second birth must desire the sincere milke of the word, to feede our soules therby vp to eternall life

By baptisme we learne to confesse our sinnes to God, and turne our misdeeds outwards, as the Scolapendra doth her entrals to wash them.

By his passion, onely to reioyce in the crosse of Christ, whereby the world is crucified vnto vs, and we vnto the world.

By his descent into hell, to remember that we couet not, lest we fall into temptation and snares of the diuell.

By his resurrection, to striue that we may haue part in the first resurrection, so shall not the second death touch vs.

By his ascension, to seeke the things that are aboue where now Christ our treasure is, and not the things beneath.

And by the sending of his graces, whereby the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the SpiritRom. 5. 5. which is giuen vnto vs, that all things may be consecrated to Gods glory.

Which things that we may performe, behold Christ the chiefest in heauen hath opened the book, that we might know them, and loosed the seales that we might do them. Woe therefore be vnto them to whom his booke is yet shut, and those seales yet vnloosed, [Page] for our Gospell is hid to none but to them that are lost. Christ Iesus is also the chiefest to be found on earth. In the Reuelation of S. Ioh. Chap. 7. there are 144000 sealed by twelues; Christ is sealed in the tribe of Iuda, in whom also the rest are sealed, to be the associats of the Lambe, according to that ancient prophecy of Iacob, Gen. 49. saying, that the Scepter should not depart from Iuda vntill Silo come. And against Dan he prophecieth thus; O Lord▪ I haue waited for thy saluation, meaning Christ. Thus the Chaldaean paraphrasts.

I will not here mention the pourtraiture which Pub. Lentul. sent vnto the Senate of Rome, describing the lineaments of our Sauiour, as he was vpon earth: That he was gracious in aspect, of a smooth brow, of an aburne haire, long, and wauing at his backe like a Nazarite, with a parted beard, and the whole frame of his blessed body being incomparably beyond all men that euer were, both in feature and fauour. For I am not ignorant how apocriphall that relation is in sacred history, and how grosly the Papists abuse themselues, and others in the table painting, & limming of that Lord of life, according to the rude hand of many an idle lozel, that dares aduenture to pourtray that sacred beautie. But what a one the Scripture mystically hath decyphered, and described him to be, that willingly will we looke vpon, and behold with awfull eyes of feare, and diuine reuerence. And therein also we shall see him the chiefest of ten thousand.

[Page]The Psalmographer in the 45. Psal. setteth him out in the person of Salomon to be of surpassing beauty, in the dignity of his forme. For he was fairer then the sonnes of men. Gracious in his speech, for grace was powred from his lips: valiant in his acts, for he was mighty in renowne: powerfull in his facts, for his arrowes pierced the hearts of his enemies: splendent in his royalty, his throne being for euer, and his scepter, a scepter of righteousnesse it selfe. Magnificent in his whole deportment, for all his garments smell of Myrrhe, Aloes, and Cassia.

The beauty of Ioseph, Dauid, and Absolon are recommended in Scripture, but the first had an alluring beauty, the father, and the sonne goodly to be looked on; but in Christ it was the beauty of perfection, and not of defection: Nullus in egregio corpore naeuus erat. The Iewes indeed saw no beauty, forme, or feature in his face, Esay 53▪ yet was he peerelesse, being void of all staine, either of sinne or shame; the most absolute perfection of beauty. For his eloquence, what eloquence may declare it? The Grecian Demosthenes, and the Romane Cicero, are herein but rudesbies. Hercules that was conceiued to draw multitudes after him with golden chaines, si ad illum cōparetur, nihil est. The Queene of the South comes to heare the wisdome of Salomon, matchlesse in his time: but behold our true Salomons eloquence, whō being yet but a child of twelue yeares, the grand Doctors are amazed to heare, Luke 2. Being a man his very enemies said, No man spake like this man. Iohn 7. [Page] His owne that knew his worth said; Thou hast the Ioh. 6. 68. words of eternall life. When he disputed he put his aduersaries to silence, as we may see in his discourse with the Sadduces: and when he preached, he taught with authority, and not as the Scribes. Mat. 7. 29. Yet this gracious eloquence, and heauenly charming was follie to the Pharisies, who thrust him out, Lu. 4. 29. and to the vnbeleeuers madnes, and therefore they cry, He hath a diuell. So euen at this day, the spiritIoh. 8. of prophecie (which indeed is the sauor of life vnto life) becomes to some misperswaded misbeleeuers the fauor of death vnto death. Neither is this eloquence of this chiefest the delicacy of words, but the efficacie of power; for out of his mouth goeth a two edged sword, Apoc. 1. 16. By the eloquence of his word he leadeth the facile, with the terrour of hisVolentes ducit, nolentes trahit. sword he enforceth the stubborne, and vnwilling: for if his word preuaile not, which deuides & discernes; deuides betweene the soule and the spirit, the marrow and the ioynts, and discerneth the very intentions of the heart; then his sword, the rod of his manly mouth shall plague them, and the breath of his mouth shall kill them. Esay 11. 4.

As for his power, who was euer able to resist it? either Heroique, or Heretique? Let the fatall destructions, and fearefull downfalls of Herod Ascalonita, that murthered the infants of Bethlem, and died disconsolatly; of Herod Archelaus, who died ingloriously at Vienna in Austria, being but a terror onely to Christ; of Herod Antipas, who beheaded Iohn Baptist [Page] Christs seruant, and perished with his dancing minion in Spaine; and of Herod Agrippa a persecuter of Christs preachers, who was eaten vp of wormes in the sight of thousands at Cesarea Philippi, Act. 12. be exemplary warnings to all posterities how they dare resist the Lord Iesus. Among the ranke of heretiques, let the wretched ends of Arrius, Nestorius, and Euty ches be presidents of his power & puissant renowne. And besides all this, the glorious increase, and godly perfection of his Church, maugre the proiects of all his open, and secret enemies. The splendor whereof is so eminent, that it remaineth firme & stedfast, when other powers haue yeelded thereunto: For his kingdome shall haue no end. Esay 9. 7. The zeale of the Lord of hostes shall bring it to passe. And God the Father hath giuen him a kingdome that shall not be taken away, Dan. 7. 14. As the Angell told the blessed Virgine, That Christ should rule ouer the house of Iacob for euer, Luke 2. 33. His equity sustaining his throne, For he iudgeth not by the sight of the eyes, nor by the hearing of the eares▪ but according to iudgment, and equity. Esay 11. 4.

His magnificence is boundlesse mercie, All about Psal 45. him smell of Myrrhe, Aloes and Cassia. For he abhorred not the confessing theefe: he despised not the sinfull woman that wept vnto him: he reiected not the suppliant Canaanite: he iudged not the adulteresse apprehended in the fact▪ he called Mathew sitting at the receit of custome; he had respect vnto the disciple that denied him: yea he prayed for them that [Page] crucified him. And therfore the spouse representing the Church of the redeemed, saith in the Cant. We Cant. 1. will runne after thee in the sweete odors of these thine oyntments, and fragrant perfumes, the sacred confections of thy most perfect nature.

Thus we see our welbeloued to be the chiefest in heauen, and the choicest on earth, yea the perfection both of heauen and earth, both in himselfe, and also in his redeemed Church. For he is the [...], by which the heauens and the earth were perfected. The Elohim by whom al things in the great vniuerse receiue speciall perfection in particular; he is [...] all sufficient for himselfe and others, rightly resembled to the glorious Sunne, that hath light sufficient for it selfe, and for both the superior, and this inferior world also.

He is Ens simplicissimum, and things the more simple, and deuoide of commixture, the more pure and perfect they are, as heate is the more it selfe the lesse it is intermingled with cold; and wine the lesse it is alayed with water, and gold the lesse drosse is in it, the more refined. But our welbeloued is most pure and perfect without any the least dramme of blending or commixture.

In a word, he is the perfection of life, motion, and being.Ioh. 3.

Of life; for who so liueth not in him is dead already, albeit he hath a name that he liueth.

Of motion; for who so moueth not in him is distracted, and doth peregrinarià Domino vitae, estrange [Page] himselfe from the Lord of life.

Of being; for who so is not in him by his Spirit, is subiect to be lost by an eternall priuation.

In his Church of the redeemed he is also of most absolute perfection, which Church consisteth both of men and Angels, he being the perfection of both: who albeit he was made man, yet was he God from euerlasting, laied in a cratch, yet adored by Angels from heauen, and worshipped by sages on earth. The Iewes saw no beauty, nor comlinesse in him, yet beleeuing eyes saw in the mount a glimpse of that glory which rauished them with exceeding great ioy. He was baptized as man, yet forgiueth sins as God; he hungred, yet filleth a thousand hungry soules with the bread of life, the Angels foode. He prayed as man, yet heareth our prayers as God: he wept as man, yet wipeth all teares from our eyes.

In a word, he is the perfection of prophecie and priesthood, of sacrifice and sacrament.

I exhort you therefore beloued and blessed in the Lord Iesus; seeing that the chiefest, and choicest man and woman among vs is more then a litle imperfect, let vs flie and hasten to our perfection, to be perfect men and women in Christ Iesus, and to rest and abide with him, that we may be beautifull, and perfect, as surely all those shall be that abide stedfast, and are found in Iesu Christ, according to his effectuall prayer, Iohn 17. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. For by him was our creation, in him is our preseruation, and of him shall [Page] be our eternall felicity, and perfection.

Let vs then (men, fathers and brethren) returne vnto him with stedfast eyes lift vp to heauen, where our perfection is; with bowed knees of humility, and grace, and with pure hands lifted vp to the throne of God, without wrath, or enuying, euen to him that was, and is, and is to come; that he would grant vs continuance of that we are to be his, and giue vs supplie of that we want, and that we resolue that it is our chiefest grace, and choicest beauty, to haue the least resemblance of his diuine perfection in vs. Euen so Lord Iesus. To whom with the Father, and the holy Ghost, be rendred all praise, perfection, power, maiestie, and glory, throughout all ages, for euermore.

Amen.

§

§

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Come and see. THE BLISSE OF BRIGHTEST BEAVTIE: SHINING OVT OF SION IN PERFECT GLORIE. Being the summe of foure sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment of superiours.

BY WILLIAM LOE.

Imprinted at London by Richard Field for Mathew Law. 1614.

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL, AND RIGHT WORTHY GENTLEman Sir William Sandis Knight, and to that weldisposed, & very Christian Ladie, the Ladie Margaret Sandis his vertuous wife, and ioyfull consort, grace and glorie be multiplied in Christs kingdomes of grace and glorie.

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MVch honored. The Christian neighborhood, and kind commerce both of bountifull liberalitie, and gracious respect, which my selfe, and mine receiued from you and yours this time tweluemoneth by our contiguous vicinitie, hath occasioned me to be thus bold in saluting you after long silēce with a paper token, the [Page] onely miniment, and memoriall of a Scholer in this last, and worst age, that hath nothing for vs but bookes amongst the best, and by-words amongst the worst, as her onely bequest, and our legacie. Howsoeuer, notwithstanding it is the heartie ioy of Israel, & the vnspeakeable comfort of Iacob, that still some of the precious balme of Gilead that falls vpon Aarons head, doth distill downe euen vnto the skirts of his priestly clothing. And whereas others may haue spices, and balmes to preserue their bodies for a time, and monuments of brasse, and stone to continue a future glorie to their memorials: yet euer those haue bene most enobled, whose remembrances the tokens of vertue, and godlinesse haue endeuored to eternize, and keepe from the rottennesse of corrupted baserie, and obscure obliuion. And albeit the purport of this whole proiect is but the turning of my tongue into my pen, and the matter it selfe is but a preaching againe (as it were) the same words another saboth day,Act. 13. as the Gentiles besought Paule in the Acts: [Page] yet I pray you entertaine them as the presence of my spirit, the pledge of mine heart, and the earnest of that affection, and loue which I iustly beare vnto you. And whereas before I spake in a great auditory in the presence and countenance of a liuing man, am now content in this my paines to bury my selfe in a dead letter of lesse effectuall perswasion: But principally I protest to this only end and purpose, that God might be magnified (if it be his holy will) in me the weakest, & meanest of his seruāts both by the meditations of mine heart, and in the endeauors of mine hand. The Treatise is of the loue of God deuoted vnto your selues in whom I haue obserued much loue toward God, toward your brethren without, and amongst your selues at home. Goe on then (blessed in the Lord Iesu) in this sacred vettue that disposeth you to God so amiablie, and youIoh. 20. shall find these holy encreases in you 1. You shall euer desire to thinke on him that madeLuke 2. you. 2. Gladly, and willingly to frequent his house the pallace of praier 3. Duly to speake,1. Pet 4. [Page] & talke of him. 4. Often to heare of him byIo. 14. his messengers, and to meditate of that you heare. 5. Readie will you be to giue for his1. Io. 3. sake. 6. Ioyfull that you suffer whatsoeuer itIo. 18. 1. Io. 5. be for Gods honour. 7. Duly to bowe your hearts to the obedience of his holy lawes, 8. Yea you wil loue them that loue the Lord,Mat. 12. and despise and hate them that hate him. 9. Neither will you loue this world, nor anything therein, vnlesse it be for the Lords cause. 10. Yea in a word, you will loue your friend in the Lord, and your enemie for the Lord.

Long may the blessing of this diuine loue which is the beautifull Idea of your soules, sparkle and flame in you. Let the God of heauen grant that the distempered humours of misperswasion may neuer quench it within you, nor the ouerflowings of vngodlinesse in the world euer put it out, but let the light of Gods owne most blessed countenance for euer and euer shine vpon you, and cause it to be enflamed eternally. I beseech the God of heauen and of earth to [Page] multiplie his richest blessings vpon your selfe, your Ladie, and your children for euermore. Euen so Lord Iesu be it.

The Colledge of Glou. Febru. 20. 1611.

Yours, because you are of Christ. WILLIAM LOE.

TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, BVT ESPECIALLY TO E. B. HIS VERY much respected friend, Grace, and Glory

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LEt God arise, and let his enemiesPsal. 68. 1. be scattered, let them that hate him, flie before him. As the smoke vanisheth, so let them perish at thy presence (ô Lord) that haue euill will at Sion. But let them that loue and seeke the Lord, be euer ioyfull and glad in him, let them be telling his praises from day to daie. And if there be any man so brutish, that loueth not the Lord Iesus, let him be had in execration Maranatha.1. Cor. 16. 22.

Seeing man being fallen is raised by Christ onely, man is returned to God, hauing turned awaie from all good. The Angels that fell are damned, man that sinned is pardoned. To man God hath giuen a motion neuer toPicus Mirād. Hexapl. ceasse vntill he rest in him, grace to guide him, goodnes to imbrace him, messengers of glad tidings to instruct him, faith to furnish him with the fulnesse of perswasion, sanctimony to dignifie him in this life, glorie to deifie him in the other life. Seeing with Iesus Christ also is the fulnesse of ioy, whose name is saluation, whose passionZan [...]h. in Euchirid. redemption, whose sacrifice satisfaction, whose bloud purgation, whose resurrectiō sanctification, whose ascension eternall glorification. And seeing that the [Page] Lord Iesus Christ is loue substantially, hauing nothingBern. de am. dei. in him selfe but himselfe, being loue it selfe essentially, not accidentally, he is also loue causally, causing it in others, as in the Elements, in the creatures, in the sweete symphonie of the whole vniuerse, and in the bitter iarres of mans corrupted nature, making men to be of one mind in an house, and of one heart in a commonwealth. He is loue actiuely louing all things he hath made, man more particularly, his redeemed most especially, with a loue to the end, in the end, without end.

Louing them in their election, when they could not loue him; louing them in their redemption when they would not loue him; louing them externally, for they haue a promise to enioy their outward blessings; louing them internally, for their hearts shall be comforted; louing them eternally, for they shall euer be blessed with him in heauenly things. He is loue passiuely most worthie to be beloued, being louing euerie daie in multiplying his blessings, being louing euery way in magnifying his mercies, louing vs first in preuenting vs mercifully, louing vs in continuance in guiding vs powerfully, louing vs last in perfecting vs eternally. Yea so louing that if he go to punish, he walkes a soft pace, he comes in the coole of the day: but to shew mercie he runnes; for he is gracious, righteous, yea our God is mercifull, punishing three, or fowre of the generation of the godlesse; but shewing mercy to thousands that loue him, and liue in his feare. Taste then, and see how gracious the Lord Iesus is, and how plentifull is his goodnesse, which he hath layed vp for them that feare him, and prepared [Page] for them that trust in him, euen before the sonnes of men. He being the perfection of Priesthood and prophecie, of sacrifice and sacrament, so that now who so setteth his heart vpon any thing but vpon the Lord Iesus, is liable to the extreme curse of Gods desertion. Set not then your hearts on beautie, beloued, it is but a forward blossome soone nipt; nor on pleasure, it is but a bitter pill lapt in sugar; nor on your belly, it is but the pantrie for the draft house; nor on riches, they are but guiles, and baites to insnare vs, which while they are in getting wearie vs, while they are possessed, befoole vs; and whenPicus Mirand. in Apolog. we lose them, they crucifie vs. Set not your hearts on the fauour of Princes or Potentates, for they are but the sonnes of men; nor on ambition, it is but a feather tossed with the wind; nor on gay apparell, it is but rags; nor on goodly houses, they are but so many bonefiers against the day of doome; nor on any thing vnder the sunne: but only like, and loue them in and for the Lord Iesus sake, as they are either remedies for sin, or directions in ordine ad Deum for our vsefull necessities, and furtherances to further our future happinesse. But as for those who despite the spirit of grace, and trample the blessed bloud of the new Testament vnder their feete, as do all sycophantizing Papists, schismatizing Puritans, neutralizing Atheists, satanizing scorners of all godlinesse, truth, and honestie: I will euer pray against their wickednesse, Psal. 69. Let their table be their snare, their eies dimmed, their habitation voide, their backes bowed downe, let them heape vp iniquitie vpon iniquitie, and let their names be razed out of the booke of life. [Page] Let them be vnto vs as paganish Ethnicks, and Publicans, as vncleane leapers put out of the campe of Israel, as rotten members, cut off from the bodie of the Church, as dead branches, broken off from the true vine, as vncleane dogges, put out of the holy Citie, and as those of the Concision, of whom we must beware, Phil. 3. 2. Yea let all that is about them be hatefull vnto vs. Let theIosu. 6. Dan 3. goods of such be as the cursed things of Iericho, their houses as odious as a iakes, their possessions as direfull as Acheldama, their gaines as vile as the Pharisies Corban, their name as branded and as infamous as was Ieroboams, their posteritie as obscure as the vntimely fruite of a woman which neuer seeth the sunne. If they be honourable, and do not honor Christ, ô Lord lay their honor in the dust. If noble, let them be accompted base, vnlesse they be ennobled in Iesus Christ. If learned, let their learning be a by-word, and a fable among the vulgar, that studie not to be students in Christs schoole. If they be a whole nation, let their portion be as the men of Ashdod, 1. Sam. 5. If a king, let him be made as Nebuchadnezzar that he may know the Almightie. If a Courtier, let him be despised in the sight of the king: yea let all them be deliuered ouer that loue not the Lord Iesus but despise him, vnto Sathan by excommunication, that confession at least may be wrested from them as it was from Simon Magus, and Elimas the Bariesu, who craued aide of the Church which formerly they desperatly despised; that if it be the will of the Lord, they may be saued by repentance in this day of grace, before that fatall and finall diuorce from the [Page] Lord of their soules and bodies be denounced, before the curses of separation, Depart from me; of indignation,Mat. 25. ye cursed; of dolor, into fire; of desperatiō, into hell fire; of confusion, prepared for the deuil and his angels, be in the last iudgement awarded against them, for their contempt of the Lord Iesus Christ. But to them that seeke the Lord Iesus, mella fluant illis, and all the beatitudes of mount Gerazim, let their eares neuer heare the horrors of the vale of the children of Hinnon, but let Sions rayes shine vpon them all their life, and let the Lord Iesus appeare vnto them in his second coming to saluation, who loue him, and looke for him from heauen,Heb. 9. 28. and long for him from the bottome of their hearts, crying come Lord Iesu. Let them heare ô Lord thy perfectApoc. 22. blessings of association, Come; of benediction, ye blessed; of inheritance, possesse; of glory, the kingdome; of election, prepared for you, before the foundations of Mat. 25. the world were layed. And God perswade Iaphet to dwell in the tents of blessed Sem. Euen so (ô Lord) be it.

Amen.

Errata.

Pag. 4 lin. 28. for when, reade where. p. 17. l. 12. Goodesse, reade goodnesse. p. 23. l. 19. shall, reade had. p. 30. l. 4. hearing, reade learning. p. 27. l. 4. propale, reade perpale.

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Title statement

Come and see. The blisse of brightest beautie: shining out of Sion in perfect glorie Being the summe of foure sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment of superiours. By William Loe.

Loe, William, d. 1645.

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1614

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2003-11 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

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A06190

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STC 16683

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ESTC S103370

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99839126

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99839126

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3525

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— Come and see. The blisse of brightest beautie: shining out of Sion in perfect glorie Being the summe of foure sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment of superiours. By William Loe., Loe, William, d. 1645..

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[12], 57, [1] p.

By Richard Field for Mathew Law,. Imprinted at London :: 1614.. (Running title reads: The blisse of brightest beautie.) (Reproduction of the original in the Union Theological Seminary (New York, N.Y.), Library.)

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